Folding car-step.



J. S. 8; F. D. BLAKE. rename GAR STEP.

APPLICATION IILED JUNE 10, 1912. I 1,063,643, Patented June 3, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Witnesses Attorneys COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH CO.. WASHINGTON D c J. s. & PQD. BLAKE.

FOLDING OAR STEP. APPLIOATION IILED JUNE 10, 1912'.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 50.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

" TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. BLAKE AND FRED D. BLAKE,

OF CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNORS TO THE BLAKE CAR STEPSWORKS'INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF NORTH CAROLINA.

FOLDING OAR-STEP.

Patented June 3, 1913.

Application filed June 10; 191 2. Serial No. 702,810.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, JOHN S. BLAKE and FRED D. BLAKE, citizens of theUnited States,

residing at Charlotte, in the county of Mecklenburg, State of NorthCai'ollna, have 1nvented a new and useful Foldlng Car-Step,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to folding car steps for use in connection withthe ordinary fixed steps of passenger cars, one of the objects: of theinvention being to provide folding: car steps which can be appliedreadily to; the fixed steps ordinarily in use and which;

have means whereby the steps will be auto-f matically folded out of theway when the? car to which they are connected is moved;

a predetermined distance in either direction. t

A further object is to provide a folding attachment of this characterwhich is simple;

in construction and which, Wlll not get out of order.

consequently j ends of the hangers and these side strips 4 A further obect is to provide improved;

means whereby the foldable steps are held; in proper relation to eachother while sup-j ported in active positions, said means serving toprevent the foldable steps from sag-j ging while in use.

Another object is to provide step actuating means so constructed as toremain eX- tended after the car has been set in motio-ng provided one ormore persons occupy the? steps, the operating means, however, beingadapted to allow the steps to slightly lower under these conditions sothat the occupants of the steps will thus be Warned to leavef them.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription@ proceeds, the invention resides in the com-,1 bmation andarrangement of parts and m the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made% within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 isa side elevastructure constituting thepresent invention B. The platform of the car produced.

& end of an actuating shaft being shown partly in elevation. Fig. 8 is aplan view of a po1= tion of the step operating mechanism.

Referrinoto the figures by characters of reference 1: designates aportion of a car structure to which are connected fixed steps isprovided with the usual form of hinged trap door C which is adapted toswing upwardly against the wall of the car structure so as to be out ofthe way while the steps are in use. Pivotally connected to the bottom ofthe lower step 13 at each end thereof are two parallel hangers l thelower ends of which are pivotally connected to a substantiallyhorizontal side strip 2. Secured between the outer end portions of theside strips is the lower step 3 of the attachment. Side strips 4. areextended between and pivotally connected to the hangers 1 at pointsequidistant from the section and partly in are secured to the ends ofthe upper step 5 of the folding attachment. Links 6 are pivotallyconnected to the outer ends of the side strips 4 and are similarlyconnected to the strips 2 at points preferably midway between the outerends of the strips 2 and the outermost hanger 1. Thus it will be seenthat the lowermost step 3 is supported by the two links 6 and by thefour hangers 1 while the upper step 5 is supported by the four hangers.Obviously, therefore, the two steps of the attachment are heldpositively against sagging relative to each other and to the fixed stepsand a durable structure is As the hangers 1 and the links 6 are parallelit will be apparent that, when desired, the steps 3 and 5 may be foldedtogether and under the lowermost step B. The mechanism provided for thispurpose will now be described.

Extending back of one of the steps B and parallel with the back edgethereof is a shaft 7 having a bevel gear 8 which meshes with anothergear 9 secured to the lower 10. This last named shaft is preferablyvertical and extends upwardly above the car platform and is provided, atits upper end, with a radial arm 11 to which a handle 12 is pivotallyconnected, this handle normally hanging downwardly, as shown in Fig. 2.An arm 13 is fixedly secured to and extends radially from the shaft andis connected, by means of a link 14:, to a rod 15 which connects theside strips 2 and constitutes the lower pivot of the two outerhangers 1. Another arm 16 extends radially from the shaft 7 and isprovided, at its free end, with a weight 17 preferably L-shaped asindicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. A pin 18 extends laterally from theWeight and is adapted, when the weight is elevated, to engage a shoulder19 formed on the lower edge of a pivoted catch 20. An arm 21 is extendedfrom this catch and is connected to the weight by means of a normallyslack chain or other flexible connection 22. The free end of the catch20 extends under and is loosely connected to one end of a lever 23 whichis pivotally attached, as at 24, to the car structure. This leverincludes a frame 25 in which a transverse shaft 26 is secured and asleeve 27 is mounted to rotate on the shaft and has acam 28 securedthereto. An annular groove 29 is formed in the sleeve and receives ayoke 30 extending upwardly from truck D of the car.

For the purpose of manually actuating the mechanism for the purposehereinafter described a rod 31 is slidably mounted within the carplatform at a point where its en larged upper end 32 can be engaged anddepressed by the trap door C when lowered. The lower end of rod 31 ispivotally connected to one end of a lever 33 fulcrumed, as at 34, upon abracket 35 extending from the car structure. The other end of the leverextends under the catch 20 at a point between lever 23 and pin 18.

The cam 28 is so located as to engage the rim of a car wheel E when thefolding steps are extended to active positions and while the catch 20 isengaged by the pin 18. When the steps are thus located it will beapparent that they can be used by passengers entering or leaving thecar. hen it is desired to fold the steps, the operator depresses rod 31either by placing a foot on the enlarged end 32 or by lowering the trapdoor C. In either event the lever 33 is actuated so as to lift up thecatch 20 and disengage shoulder 19 from pin 18. As the weight 17 is thusreleased it will swing downwardly by gravity and cause the shaft 7 torotate. Arm 13 will, therefore, be moved to the position indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 2 and will pull on link 14: so

as to fold the steps together and against the lower face of the lowerstep B. It will be noted that under normal conditionsnvhile the foldedsteps are extended, the arm 13 and the link 14? do not aline.Furthermore the rod at the point a of step 4: bears against the link 14and, as the shoulder 19 is in engagement with the pin 18 it will be seenthat the movable steps are thus locked against swinging movementrelative to the fixed steps. Should one or-more passengers be standingon the steps at the time the catch 20 is elevated the steps would not,of course, fold upwardly as hereinbefore described because the weight 17would not be suflicient to operate them. Instead, the. movable stepswould swing backwardly until the hangers 1 are brought to vertical orsubstantially vertical positions, this movement of the steps beingintended to warn the occupants of the steps of the fact that they shouldleave them.

As hereinbefore stated the cam 28 contacts with the rim of wheel E whenthe movable steps are extended. As a result of this arrangement, shouldthe operator, as a result of neglect, or for any other reason, fail todepress the rod 31 or lower the trap door G, the steps will beautomatically elevated. This automatic operation results from therotation of the wheel E and the consequent rotation of cam 28 and. asthe cam is eccentrically mounted, such rotation will result in theactuation of lever 23 and the elevation of the shoulder 19 fromengagement with pin 1.8. Thus the weight 17 will be released and thesteps folded as hereinbefore described. As the weight is connected toarm 21 by the flexible connection 22 it will be seen that during thedownward movement: of the weight, said arm will be pulled downwardly andthe catch 20 thus held elevated. Lever 23 is in turn supported by theelevated catch and the cam 28 supported out of contact with the wheel.The cam 28 is limited in its movement relative to the frame 25 by alaterally extendingpin 36 and by a strip 37 which is mounted in theframe 25 and in the path of the pin. By providing the yoke 30 and theslidable sleeve 27 it will be seen that, when the truck D and wheel Eshift laterally relative to the car body, as when the car is travelingalong a curve, the shaft 26 will slide within the sleeve and thus permitrelative movement of the frame 25 and the cam so that the said cam willbe maintained constantly in engagement with the wheel rim.

Importance is attached to the fact that in the structure hereindescribed it is unnecessary to employ any springs and that the foldablesteps and their operating mechanism can be applied readily to carsalready in use. a

hat is claimed is 1. The combination with a fixed car step, of parallelhangers extending downwardly from the front and back portions of theends of the fixed step, upper and lower movable steps, and meansextending rcarwardly from each of the movable steps and pivotallyconnected to said hangers.

2. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, a weightfor holding the same normally retracted, a catch, means upon the weightand cooperating with the catch for locking the step in extendedposition, means for extending the step, and means for shifting the catchto unlock the step.

3. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, a weightfor holding the same retracted, a catch, means on the weight andcooperating with the catch for holding the step extended, means forextending the step, means for disengaging the catch from the weight,said weight being movable by gravity to normal position.

4-. The combination with a car structure including a fixed step, offoldable steps, a weighted shaft, an arm radiating therefrom, a linkconnection between one of the movable steps and the arm, the othermovable step, when extended, engaging the link connection, a catch,means on the weight and cooperating with the catch for locking the stepswhen extended, means for extending the steps, and means for unlockingthe catch from the weight.

5. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, yieldingmeans for holding the step normally retracted, a locking element, meansfor extending the step to active position, means for engaging thelooking element to hold the step extended, means operated by a carwheel, when rotating, for unlocking the step, and means actuated by thestep when projected, for placing said unlocking means in operativerelation with the wheel.

6. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, yieldingmeans for holding the step normally retracted, means for projecting thestep to operative position, means for automatically locking the stepwhen extended, means adapted to be actuated by the rotation of a carwheel, for unlocking the step, and means operated by the step when movedto operative position, for placing said unlocking means in operativerelation with the wheel.

7. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, yieldingmeans for holding the step normally retracted, means for projecting thestep to active position, means for automatically locking the step whenprojected, an unlocking lever, a cam movabl connected thereto, meansoperated by the step when projected, for shifting the cam intoengagement with a car wheel, said wheel, when rotating, constitutingmeans for actuating the cam to shift the lever and unlock the step.

8. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, means forprojecting the same, means for automatically retracting the same, meansfor automatically locking the step when projected, unlocking mechanism,said mechanism including a cam mounted for rotation, and means operatedby the step, when projected, for placing the cam in operative relationwith the wheel of the car.

9. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, means forprojecting the same, means for automatically retracting the same, meansfor automatically locking the step when projected, unlocking mechanism,said mechanism including a cam mounted for rotation, means operated bythe step when projected, for placing the cam in operative relation withthe rim of a wheel of the car, and means for maintaining the cam incontact with the wheel rim during the lateral movement of the car bodyrelative to the wheel.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have heretoaffixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN S. BLAKE. FRED D. BLAKE.

Witnesses:

SELINA WVILLsON, J. F. FLOWERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

